Baked Squid with Rice and Pine Nuts Stuffing

This delicious baked squid preparation is a perfect weekend recipe to fulfill your craving taste buds. This is a modification of a traditional Sicilian recipe I've changed to meet the demands of my family members. Fortunately, it came out very well and everyone loved it to the core. It's a wholesome recipe and is nutritious too. If you're a bit adventurous, sprinkle generous quantity of your favorite cheese on top before you bake these stuffed squids. Leftovers of this recipe can be included in a salad bowl. If you prefer a simpler or a plain version, the tomato Concasse base used in this recipe can be omitted. Let's not wait further and make this scrumptious and flavorful stuffed squid preparation for everyone.

Baked Squid with Rice and Pine Nuts StuffingAuthor: Shoshanna Lee

Savor these delicious, fulfilling, and baked squids which are delicately stuffed with pine nuts and rice and are flavored with select spices and aromatic herbs.

Preparation Time: 15 minutesCooking time: 30 minutesServings: 4

Ingredients:

16 to 18 baby squid tubes (cleaned)

1 medium-sized onion (finely chopped)

500 gm ripe tomatoes

1 cup short grain rice

100 gm pine nuts (slightly roasted)

1 tsp lemon juice

2 tsp pecorino cheese (finely grated)

1 garlic clove (finely minced)

1/4 tsp paprika

1/4 tsp allspice powder

2 tsp extra virgin olive oil

a small bunch of parsley (chopped)

ground pepper to taste

salt to taste

Instructions:

Preheat oven to 185 °C.

Add all the tomatoes in boiling water for half a minute.

Immediately transfer all the tomatoes to a bowl of icy cold water.

Peel the skin of tomatoes and cut each one in halves.

Remove the seeds and dice them.

Heat olive oil in a nonstick frying pan on a medium flame.

Add minced garlic and stir fry for half a minute.

Add chopped onion and stir fry for a minute.

Transfer raw tomato Concasse to the pan with chopped parsley.

Season with salt, ground pepper, and paprika.

Stir for 2 to 3 minutes and remove from the flame. Keep aside.

Boil rice in salted water for about 6 minutes.

Drain the water and keep the rice, aside.

Take a large bowl and add roasted pine nuts, rice, lemon juice, grated cheese, allspice powder, and salt in it.

Combine everything well and stuff it in all the baby squid tubes with a gentle hand.

Arrange a layer of tomato Concasse in the baking tray, and gently place all the stuffed squids on top of it.